As characters in a vast and calculated 1980s toy line, the Transformers lived by simple rules and died by an even simpler one: when an Autobot or Decepticon's toy was cycled out of production and off shelves, he wouldn't be around much longer. The Transformers cartoons and comics always had plenty of new action figures to promote, and they couldn't let a bunch of toyless characters distract children.

Many kids first learned this lesson with the Transformers movie, which murdered a bunch of old favorites to make way for new characters/products. Yet the Transformers comic series was no slouch when it came to killing off the cast, particularly when writer Simon Furman took over the book. More obscure Transformers might simply disappear, but dozens of recognizable and once-important characters met grisly and sudden demises. And so the Transformers franchise taught children valuable lessons about sacrifice, mortality, and how you shouldn't get all that attached to characters whose fate depends on what's on the shelves at Toys "R" Us.

10) Ironhide

Transformers: The Movie came as a shock to kids who were used to the milder violence of the TV cartoon, where no one actually died despite all the explosions and laser barrages. The film opens with an entire planet of robot-people being eaten by Unicron, a giant mecha-creature voiced by Orson Welles. Perhaps kids didn't realize what was in store, though. After all, no one on that doomed planet was an established Transformers character.

Some young viewers might've even stayed optimistic during the movie's first big slaughter, when an Autobot shuttle is attacked by Decepticons and '80s hair metal. OK, so the Decepticons gunned down Brawn. He's tough! He'll get better! And now Prowl got shot and is vomiting smoke. He can be fixed! That happened all the time in the cartoon! And Ironhide and Ratchet went down as well, but let's not fret. They'll be back on their feet in no time! And now... uh, Megatron just blew off Ironhide's head at pointblank range. Ironhide, the amiably Southern gentleman of the group, is clearly dead. And the Transformers will never be the same.

9) Brainstorm

Brainstorm was never quite an A-lister in the Transformers commercial empire. He had a somewhat prominent role in the cartoon (both in America and Japan) when the new Headmaster toys were introduced, and he stood out in the comics just because he was smart enough to fix other Autobots. Yet he didn't catch on like Bumblebee or Grimlock or even The One Voiced By The Fast-Talking Guy From the Micro Machines Commercials. So when the planet-eating Unicron attacks the Transformer homeworld of Cybertron in the comics, Brainstorm is singled out as the first casualty.

Plenty of Transformers perished in the ensuing Unicron battle, but there's something particularly gruesome about seeing a blubbering Brainstorm get speared and eaten. In fact, Brainstorm's only the first of several Headmasters to meet doom during the battle; Hardhead is stepped on, while Highbrow is swatted like a fly. The fourth new Headmaster, Chromedome, just runs away. Maybe he suspected what was in store for a retired Transformers toy.

8) Red Alert

Marvel's original Transformers comic was canceled as the toyline wound down in 1991, even though the book, like most successful '80s series, did business that any present-day comic publisher would envy. However, the toys were revived for Transformers: Generation 2 in 1992, and the comic returned with them. Comics were changing for the worse, growing full of graphic violence and constant explosions and vicious Rob Liefeld sneers. So the Transformers comic and its already high body count fit right in.

At only 12 issues, the Transformers Generation 2 comic doesn't have that much time to linger on its frequent bloodshed. However, it spares a long glance for Red Alert, a paranoid Autobot who dodged unpleasant fates before (his death was storyboarded for the Transformers movie but never actually put in the film). Not long into the Generation 2 storyline, Red Alert pulls a gun on some Decepticons that ambushed his companions. This isn't smart.
No, Red Alert didn't have a toy in the Generation 2 line. Why do you ask?

7) Runabout and Runamuck

Runabout and Runamuck are notable for dying multiple times over the course of the Transformers comic. In their first appearance, the two Decepticons blaze a trail of mischief across the United States, covering the Washington Monument and other landmarks in alien graffiti. They are confronted by the Autobots and the recurring (and unnecessary) antagonist Circuit Breaker, who join forces to blast the jovial pranksters and send their charred forms into the sea.

The pair aren't seen for many issues, but they show up alongside Decepticon leader Shockwave (who'd also been underwater for a long time) just in time for ol' Unicron to attack. Runamuck seems to die in the big battle, as evidenced by his shattered car-corpse. Runabout doesn't last much longer. While wandering around in celebration of his survival, he's seized and eaten by some new, hideous menace.

Runamuck, however, returns to fight and die one more time. In the slightly more X-TREME Transformers: Generation 2 comic, he appears amid a bunch of Decepticons attacking a force of newer, nastier Decepticons. Runamuck is the first to die. And if you'll pick up the new run of Transformers comics from IDW, you'll see both Runamuck and Runabout meet grisly fates yet again.

6) Scrounge

Unlike every other character on this list, Scrounge did not have a corresponding toy. Therefore he was lucky to last more than a few comic panels. A member of an Autobot resistance cell on Cybertron, Scrounge is captured shortly after he uncovers new details about a Decepticon plot. Blaster (a.k.a. "The Good-Guy Soundwave") rallies his fellow Autobots for a rescue mission that leads straight into the Smelting Pool, where robots are painfully boiled to death. Blaster manages to find Scrouge, or part of him, at least...

Much of the carnage visited upon Transformers is mollified by their robotic appearances, but we're sure plenty of kids were put off by the sight of Scrounge's half-melted form, wires and tubes hanging from him like spilled entrails. And to make matters worse, there's no saving him. Scrounge prefers to die an agonizing, high-temperature death for some vague and self-sacrificing reason.

5) Cloudburst

Poor ol' Cloudburst was technically offed twice. A somewhat shy humanoid "Pretender" Autobot, he and his compatriot Landmine are the stars of a comic-book story arc that dumps them on the savage world of Femax. As the name might imply, it's one of those backhandedly sexist barbarian societies run by women -- conveniently Transformer-sized women, at that. The First One, leader of this pulp utopia, takes a liking to Cloudburst (or at least his human-like Pretender shell), and she reacts quite badly when he reveals that he's a robot.

Fortunately, Cloudburst is a brand new toy, so the First One realizes her error and repairs his head off-panel. The two Transformers are then sent respectfully on their way, with Cloudburst showing curious admiration for the woman who just decapitated him. Everything's okay, kids! All you have to worry about is explaining that cover to your parents!

Yet Cloudburst isn't a brand new toy some 20 issues later, when Unicron attacks Cybertron. Cloudburst flies in to strafe the rapacious giant, but fellow Autobot Highbrow bumps him directly into Unicron's fiery breath. And there's no amazon empress to fix him this time.

4) Megatron and Ratchet

For Megatron and Ratchet, their deaths weren't as disturbing as their resurrection. In a comic-book twist familiar to Transformers fans of any era, Megatron returns from apparently certain destruction. After a few issues of this, Autobot surgeon Ratchet destroys Megatron by... well, tackling him into a pile of explosives. The two of them are seemingly destroyed, but some plot device involving dimensional gateways brings them back to life as one hideous monstrosity.

After some gruesome conflict, the Ratchet-Megatron patty melt is divided into two separate robots, and they're put into cryogenic stasis aboard the Autobot's main ship. A while later, Megatron awakens and brawls with Galvatron, who is actually Megatron from an alternate reality. Sick of all this convoluted storytelling, Ratchet blows up the ship, even though this doesn't prevent another Megatron comeback shortly down the road.

3) Starscream

In the commentary track for Transformers the Movie, series writer Flint Dille reveals that the scheming, raspy-voiced Starscream is his favorite character from the show, and it's not hard to see why. By trying to usurp Megatron every time the Decepticon leader so much as stepped out for the paper, Starscream brought much-needed inter-company conflict to a standard cast of good guys and bad guys. Both a ruthless slimeball and a shrieking coward, Starscream was just as essential to the show as Optimus Prime.

So it made twisted sense when the Transformers movie, after killing off Prime, did the same for Starscream. Megatron endured roughly 80,000 of Starscream's takeover attempts during the show, but the movie put Megatron in the mentally unstable new form of Galvatron, and Galvatron didn't hesitate to off Starscream. This was probably a mistake from a storyline point of view, and Starscream returned to the show as a conniving ghost. He'd even show up in Beast Wars along the same lines.

2) Alternate Reality Rodimus Prime

Transformers fans are frequently divided over Rodimus Prime, the young whippersnapper who leads the Autobots after Optimus Prime's passing. Some find him whiny and ineffective. Others argue that this is the point, that Rodimus is supposed to grow into his role over time, and that the whole idea is a bit too much for a kids' show where plot points might involve robot birthdays or time travel. For those who suspect that Rodimus would've led the Autobots straight to ruin, one issue of the Transformers comics explored an alternate reality where that pretty much happened.

In this divergent dimension, Unicron ate Cybertron, leaving the Decepticons to conquer the Earth and kill most of the Autobots. Rodimus is among the dead as the story opens, and his decomposing corpse is strung up between the half-destroyed towers of the World Trade Center. And then Galvatron wanders over to blast Rodimus' lifeless form for good measure. He's not a fan, either.

1) Optimus Prime

The big-screen demise of Optimus Prime may have shocked every kid who saw the Transformers movie, but it was only one of several exits for the Autobot leader and '80s icon. In cartoon canon, he died, was reborn as a zombie, died again, and then came back again. In the comics, he was killed as the result of a video-game bet with Megatron (yes, really) and later revived by a floppy disk with his personality on it (YES, REALLY). Many issues afterward, he sacrificed himself to blow up Unicron and then came back thanks to a last-minute Deus Ex Machina. This is to say nothing of the numerous other versions of Optimus Prime that show up with each new Transformers reimagining.

So what's the most traumatizing death to befall Optimus Prime? We're going with the post-movie episode "Dark Awakening." As the Autobots happen across their drifting space mausoleum, they find Optimus Prime's crypt empty and their leader wandering around alive and well. Yet something's not right. Optimus was crudely revived by the treacherous Quintessons, and he's programmed to lead his former comrades into a trap. Undead Optimus eventually shakes it off and saves his friends, flying his ship on a noble suicide run even as his body breaks apart.

Yes, it wasn't enough that The Transformers killed off Prime once. He had to be reanimated, turned evil, and then killed again to even more unpleasant effect. Kids might've tuned in expecting to see a Transformers episode about Grimlock getting a new brain or Perceptor becoming a robot geisha (both happened, trust us). Instead they saw Optimus Prime exhumed and executed once again in some horrific cartoon cadaver synod. Complaints over this and his movie demise prompted Prime to return once again and stay alive for the remainder of the U.S. animated series. Perhaps this negated any lessons children might've learned from seeing a beloved character pass away, but it was also the show's fault for going a bit too far.

More links from around the web!

A bit disappointed Beast Wars and Beast Machines didn't make the list and some easily forgettable transformers like Runamuck and Runabout are. #1 Dinobot in Code of a Hero. Watch and you'll understand way. #2 Depth Charge in Nemisis Part 2. #3 Rhinox in Beast Machines

I would love to see a new Generation 1 TF Animated movie in the same art style of the original but with even more smoother animation. Too bad that will never be. I don't like any of the new TF series or movies. I thought TF Animated (recent series) and TF Prime are abominations and I can't get into them. I did give them a chance. I did enjoy when Dreamwave and then IDW started creating the original, yet modernized Generation 1 series comic books several years ago.

This list will probably need to be redone once MTMTE is done, given te hints from the 1st issue. Also, thanks to MTMTE, honarary mentions: Black Shadow, who was partially melted by Helex, got his legs crunched off by Tesarus, electrocuted by Kaon, and talked to death by Tarn; Flywheels, who got jammed inside Tesarus's chest; Pharma, who either rusted away from his eyes or fell to his death, Ore, who got meshed into a generator, Shock and Animus, who both were forced to vomit their brains up and get their hearts torn out; and Polaris, who got chucked out a ship, then had his body used to exxplode a giant robot.

I find it amusing in that clip of Ironhide's death that the Autobots fire a barrage at the Decepticons and miss every time but the Decepticons seem to take someone out with every shot. I thought it was the bad guys that are supposed to be terrible marksmen?

Great book on the fanchise "Prime Targets," listing Starscream's death with "a moment so satisfying you wonder why Megatron didn't waste the little creep years ago."

Actually remember seeing a comic that did character files with Megatron explaining why he keeps Starscream around. First, he recognizes that when he puts aside the attitude, Starscream is a good fighter and might be a decent leader someday. Second, he figures Starscream's constant scheming keeps Megatron sharp and on his toes. Most importantly, Megatron admits that one some level he actually understands Starscream: "Were our positions reversed, wouldn't I do everything to become leader?" Interesting insight to why he keeps that arrogant jerk around.

Related: the Classics/Universe 2 Ratchet figure has a license plate marked "H3L PU2" in reference to the cover of the issue he and Megs get merged together in (which is also one of the single most disturbing images ever released in reference to anything Transformers:http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/7/78/MarvelUS-70.jpg )

The Megatron/Ratchet thing gets even creepier in the recent "Regeneration" extension of the original comic (even starting with issue 81) - Megatron has a chariot with Ratchet's head embedded in it. He really holds a grudge!

Nice to see plenty of love for the 80's Marvel comic and G1 cartoon/movie. It's funny how mom didn't want me watching GI Joe as a kid because it was "too violent"- but TF was apparently ok. If she only knew...

I've got to say that Scorponok/Zarek's death in the comics battle with Unicron is one of my favorite moments of any TF series. It is pretty gruesome- he gets melted into a puddle of purple and green goo by Unicron's heat breath (plus, Furman had just explicitly reminded us that there's a "person" inside his Headmaster). But it also manages to be pretty poignant, in that he does go out a hero, and is comforted by Prime as he fades.

I finally saw the movie several months ago. Here's what I don't get: a crapload of Autobots wind up getting killed. I get how the new toys had to be moved, but that was cold-blooded. Meanwhile, Starscream kicks Megatron and other mortally-wounded Decepticons out of Astrotrain, and they get rebuilt by Unicron. What message does that send to kids? Also . . . notice how Galvatron became unstable after the movie. If it turns out the writers were inspired by Colin Baker's take on the Doctor, I wouldn't be surprised.

Damn, Starscream's death was hysterical. And Leonard Nimoy can make for a good villain.

Hilarious that the Decepticons had a crown, throne, and a coronation ceremony. But given that they had both, the Decepticon king must have been a real thing. So it's a little disturbing that they all just stand around while a complete stranger flies in, disintegrates their king, and then bow down to him.

"Complaints over this and his movie demise prompted Prime to return once again and stay alive for the remainder of the U.S. animated series."

Yes, all three episodes of it.

Prime's death in the movie is even more annoying because it resulted in Hasbro censoring Duke's death scene in GI Joe: The Movie. Which was a shame, because, unlike Prime's death (surrounded by characters who no one had heard of until 20 minutes earlier and handing over a similarly-unknown McGuffin), Duke went out with Hawk, Doc and Scarlett crying over the corpse.

Backstory is that Megatron's initial run ended in the death of Seeker called Skyquake. When Megatron "died" in the conflict following the Autobots awakening, Starscream took over the Decepticons, the Autobots woke up blah blah blah. But the big thing is Dark Enegeron, fossilized energon from the Earth which turns out to be the blood of Unicron itself. Anyway before half of that happened it could turn transformers into zombies. It was tested on Cliffjumper, which is why Arcee has it out for Starscream.

Megatron was caught in stasis and Knock Out and Starscream conspired to keep any chance of Megatron's revival firmly in the impossible. Until...anyway, Megatron found out about Skyquake and his twin, Dreadwing, chased the Wrecker Wheeljack to Earth (killing Seaspray along the line). Optimus and Wheeljack defeated him, saving Bulkhead in the process.

However, Optimus, aware of Dreadwing's rage, appealed to his sense of justice and begged him to turn away from Megatron and join the Autobots. Dreadwing turned him down, three times and returned to the Nemesis to take his revenge of the desecration of his brother's grave.

@Ranchoth Yes... and yet, all the characters invariably return like a phoenix, with new paraphernalia or paint jobs. So this teaches kids about... reincarnation?

To that point, I want to assert, especially for any impressionable or dramatic youth reading this list, that these are not deaths in the traditional sense of the word. In the comics, shows and movies, you can't get sad about any of the robots melting or "dying" for the sake of a scene. In addition to being "programs" that are constantly uploaded, downloaded, backed-up, fused or dispersed, they apparently also have "ghosts", and they keep copies of personalities on digital file on Cybertron and beyond (?!?!) and can be reborn into all sorts of bodies when circumstances call for it.

The mausoleums and funerals are, apparently, designed and maintained for political reasons.

In essence, the only real threats to any individual Transformer's never-ending grab-assing are imprisonment, and things that threaten the entire race, like running out of energon, Cybertonium, and Cosmic Rust.

These emotional "deaths" are more of a lesson in bravery within a system of eternal life. What will you do with your next life? Will it be any different than the last one? Etc.

@Someguy pretty sure it could have only been 5 1/4 at the time it happened so not very big. although the data could have been purely personality profile with no information. maybe the actual knowledge is stored in the body more permanently. but the personality is volatile so would need to be dumped somewhere before death.

It was pretty lazy tho, wouldn't have been hard for someone to use some "new experimental technology" or something when they backed him up.

@randomfandom Hell, that was a death scene to rival Prime's, IMHO. The comic had really built Scorponok into the Decepticon leader G1 Megatron never had been or ever would be, so his death had a real impact.

@lantern75 The logic was, if memory serves, that kids would be more likely to buy "evil" characters if they had a connection to them (EG, if as a kid you liked the Insecicons you'd buy a Swoop*), whereas they'd buy Autobots more or less out of reflex.

@jedgeco Maybe Starscream was like Jean-Bédel Bokassa, and just made up the position, regalia, and ceremony himself, at enormous expense, to boost his own ego......now that I think about it, I can't imagine that that ISN'T what he'd do. Even if there already WAS a Deceptiking crown.

@gambit0320 I agree with you on Dinobot, but I'll argue for Depth Charge. It's unnerving that a transformer would choose death just to take out a combatant. And that Rampage/Dinobot 2.0 bit can be pretty freaky. From Prime, Cliffjumper's death/resurrection/re-death could be see as unnerving, but more tragic than anything.

What I meant is: imagine watching The Return of Optimus Prime, where Prime has his triumphant resurrection....only to die again a few episodes into the series that directly follows up on that. It's pretty crazy if you think about it.